The jury of the 32nd edition of the competition organized by the Association of Polish Journalists (SDP) has announced the verdict of its deliberations held on March 29, 2026. The most prestigious distinction of the contest—the Grand Free Speech Award—was granted to Telewizja Republika journalist Katarzyna Gójska, editor-in-chief of the monthly Nowe Państwo and deputy editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska. She was honored “for preparing and hosting the presidential debates broadcast on TV Republika in 2025.”
The four debates organized by Telewizja Republika had a fundamental impact on the dynamics and ultimate course of last year’s election campaign. At a critical moment for the country, they became the main and independent platform for substantive discussion about the future of the state for millions of Poles.
A widely discussed aspect of these events was the consistent absence of the Civic Platform candidate, Rafał Trzaskowski, who declined to participate in the debates, opting instead for what were described as “greenhouse conditions” in a controversially taken-over public television broadcaster. Despite the boycott by the representative of the ruling camp, the debates organized by the station brought together a wide range of candidates representing other political circles. It should be emphasized—and this was recognized by the SDP—that Katarzyna Gójska conducted the discussions in a highly professional and entirely impartial manner, ensuring equal speaking time and fair conditions for all participants to present their programs.
The objectivity and journalistic reliability of the organizers were also acknowledged during last year’s campaign by the candidates themselves. For example, Krzysztof Stanowski, who took part in the debates organized by Telewizja Republika, stated that the commercial broadcaster “today fulfills the public mission more effectively than the public television.”
Watergate Award for Piotr Nisztor
The Grand Watergate Award—granted by the SDP for investigative journalism—was awarded to Piotr Nisztor for a series published in Gazeta Polska and broadcast on TV Republika. The award recognized:
- the program “Political-Business Network in KGHM” (TV Republika)
- the article “Who Profits from KGHM” (Gazeta Polska)
- the article “Former Companies of the President and Vice President Profit from the Copper Giant” (Gazeta Polska Codziennie)
SDP Awards for Journalists of the Free Speech Zone – List of Laureates
The Association of Polish Journalists also honored other journalists from the Free Speech Zone. Here is the full list of awardees:
- Grand Free Speech Award – distinctions: Miłosz Kłeczek for the series “On the Move”; Dawid Wildstein for “Rigged Elections. How Tusk Repeats the ‘Smolensk’ Operation” (Gazeta Polska, July 2, 2025), “Roman Giertych’s Haters, or the Green Men of the Third Republic” (Gazeta Polska, June 18, 2025), and “The Left-Wing Zoo, or How Progressive Ideologues Love Nature” (Nowe Państwo).
- Special Award in the Watergate category: Andrzej Gajcy and Wojciech Mucha for the book Campaign. How to Win Elections? And Not Get Caught, published by Nowa Konfederacja.
- Stefan Żeromski Award (for social journalism): Monika Borkowska for “Psychotropics in an Orphanage,” TV Republika, September 28, 2025.
- Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Award (for economic journalism): Edyta Hołdyńska for the TV programs “EU Regulations—Are They Suffocating Us? How Much Did ‘Tethered Caps’ Cost?” (TV Republika, Biznes Polska, March 31, 2025); “Why Is the Government Eliminating Polish Companies from Major Investments?” (TV Republika, December 10, 2025); “People Deceived by the ‘Clean Air’ Program” (TV Republika, November 26, 2025); and Maciej Pawlak for the article “The Budget Deficit Is Growing Catastrophically” (Gazeta Polska, June 25, 2025).